LIVE STREAM EVENTS

Museum of the Rockies (MOR) wants all Montana schoolchildren to be able to engage with museum paleontologists, so we’re bringing the Museum to you! In partnership with Streamable Learning, MOR will connect with classrooms around the state and the country, to learn about paleontology. Programs are always free for Montana schools with advanced registration! No special equipment is required to participate.

Fossil Fest!

How do paleontologists know where to look for fossils?What tools do they use to prepare fossils for research and display?Study real fossils from the Museum of the Rockies’ collection to discover the steps and techniques of paleontology in this special program in celebration of National Fossil Day!

Student Objectives
Students will be able to:

Describe the steps and techniques followed and used in the practices of paleontology.

Explain how the practice of paleontology differs for fossils found on various land including privately owned and public land.

Standards Alignment

Montana Science Standards

Grade

Subject Area

Content Standard

Each student will:

3rd grade

Life Science

analyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the organisms and the environments in which they lived long ago

4th grade

Earth & Space Science

identify evidence from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to support an explanation for changes in a landscape over time

5th grade

Earth & Space Science

develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, or atmosphere interact

6th-8th grade

Life Science

analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in the past

6th-8th grade

Earth & Space Science

Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata for how the geologic time scale is used to organize Earth’ 4.6 billion-year-old history

Next Generation Science Standards

Discipline and Core Idea

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

3-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

3-LS4-1. Analyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the organisms and the environments in which they lived long ago.

4-ESS1 Earth’s Place in the Universe

4-ESS1-1. Identify evidence from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to support an explanation for changes in a landscape over time.

Dinosaurs Grow Up: Studying the Life Patterns of Dinosaurs

How did dinosaurs grow up?How long did it take for a Tyrannosaurus rex to grow to its full size?How do we know how old each dinosaur was when it died?We can reconstruct the life pattern of a dinosaur by closely studying its fossilized bones.Study real fossils from Museum of the Rockies' collection to discover how dinosaur babies grew to adults.

Student Objectives

Students will be able to:

Describe how scientists determine how old animals were when they died based on fossils evidence.

Compare and contrast the life patterns of different dinosaurs.

Standards Alignment

Montana Science Standards

Grade

Subject Area

Content Standard

Each student will:

Kindergarten

Life Science

use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals, including humans, need to survive

1st grade

Life Science

use information from print and other media to identify patterns in the behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive

2nd grade

Life Science

make observations of plants and animals to compare and contrast the diversity of life in different habitats

3rd grade

Life Science

use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing

Next Generation Science Standards

Discipline and Core Idea

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

K-LS1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

K-LS1-1. Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.

1-LS1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

1-LS1-2. Read texts and use media to determine patterns in the behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive.

2-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

2-LS4-1. Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.

3-LS1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

3-LS1-1. Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.

3-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

3-LS2-1. Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive.

3-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

3-LS4-2. Use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing.

Dinosaur Evolution

Overview: ​Fossil evidence provides a record of the evolutionary history of life on Earth.Explore the collections from Museum of the Rockies and explore how dinosaurs and other animals have evolved to produce specific adaptions for survival.Examine how scientists use specific characteristics of skeletons to create hypotheses of evolutionary relationships.

Student Objectives

Students will be able to: Describe the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms during the Mesozoic Era.

​Compare and contrast modern organisms to fossils organisms to infer evolutionary relationships.

Standards Alignment

Montana Science Standards

Grade

Subject Area

Content Standard

Each student will:

6th – 8th grades

Life Science

Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem and analyze scientific concepts used by American Indians to maintain healthy relationships with environmental sources

6th – 8th grades

Life Science

Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in the past

6th – 8th grades

Life Science

Apply scientific ideas to construct an explanation for the anatomical similarities and differences among modern organisms and between modern and fossil organisms to infer evolutionary relationships

9th – 12th grades

Life Science

Construct an explanation based on evidence that the process of evolution by natural selection primarily results from four factors:

1.The potential for a species to increase in number

2.The heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction

3.Competition for limited resources

4.The proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment

9th – 12th grades

Life Science

Construct an explanation based on evidence for how natural selection leads to the adaptation of populations over time

9th – 12th grades

Life Science

Evaluate the evidence supporting claims that changes in environmental conditions may result in:

·Changes in the number of individuals of some species

·The emergence of new species over time

·The extinction of other species

Next Generation Science Standards

Discipline and Core Idea

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

MS-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

MS-LS2-1. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.

MS-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

MS-LS4-1. Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in the past.

MS-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

MS-LS4-2. Apply scientific ideas to construct an explanation for the anatomical similarities and differences among modern organisms and between modern and fossil organisms to infer evolutionary relationships.

HS-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

HS-LS4-2. Construct an explanation based on evidence that the process of evolution primarily results from four factors: (1) the potential for a species to increase in number, (2) the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, (3) competition for limited resources, and (4) the proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment.

HS-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

HS-LS4-4. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how natural selection leads to the adaptation of populations.

HS-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

HS-LS4-5. Evaluate the evidence supporting claims that changes in environmental conditions may result in (1) increases in the number of individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new species over time, and (3) the extinction of other species.

Dinosaur Dentists: Exploring Teeth of the Mesozoic Era

Like animals today, animals that are now extinct had special adaptations that helped them survive in their habitat.Study real fossils from the Museum of the Rockies’ collection and discover how different teeth of dinosaurs and mammals that lived during the Mesozoic Era were adapted to these animals’ diets.

Student Objectives

Students will be able to:

Compare and contrast the different features of teeth in animals from the Mesozoic Era including dinosaurs and mammals.

Explain how different teeth helped dinosaurs and mammals survive based on their diets.

Standards Alignment

Montana Science Standards

Grade

Subject Area

Content Standard

Each student will:

Kindergarten

Life Science

use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals, including humans, need to survive

1st grade

Life Science

use information from print and other media to identify patterns in the behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive

2nd grade

Life Science

make observations of plants and animals to compare and contrast the diversity of life in different habitats

3rd grade

Life Science

use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing

Next Generation Science Standards

Discipline and Core Idea

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

K-LS1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

K-LS1-1. Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.

1-LS1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

1-LS1-2. Read texts and use media to determine patterns in the behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive.

2-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

2-LS4-1. Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.

3-LS1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

3-LS1-1. Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.

3-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

3-LS2-1. Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive.

3-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

3-LS4-2. Use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing.

VIEW PAST EVENTS

Mesozoic Ecosystems

March 27, 2019 | Grades: 2 – 5 | Length: 45 min. | Category: Science
Montana is famous for its Hell Creek Formation, the geologic unit that represents the very end of the Mesozoic Era and the last non-avian dinosaurs including T.rex and Triceratops. These famous dinosaurs lived in an ecosystem filled with life, including other animals and plants. Explore the dinosaurs, other animals, and plants from the Hell Creek Formation and discover how scientists use fossil evidence to understand ecosystems of the Mesozoic Era.

Montana Science Standards

2nd Grade: Life Science: Make observations of plants and animals to compare and contrast the diversity of life in different habitats.

3rd Grade:

Life Science: Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.

Life Science: Analyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the organisms and the environments in which they lived long ago.

4th Grade: Earth & Space Science: Identify evidence from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to support an explanation for changes in a landscape over time.

5th Grade:

Life Science: Develop and critique a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.

Earth & Space Science: Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, or atmosphere interact.

Geologic Time Travel

February 14, 2019 | Grades: 6 – 12 | Length: 45 min. | Category: Science
Studying the Earth’s fossil record and rock strata help us understand the Earth’s 4.6 billion-year-old history. Take a quick ride through time to uncover what the Earth’s ecosystems and life were like in